Eastern, Shelby split
SHELBY — “We played 12 innings of good softball. Unfortunately, we had 14 innings to play,” said Mason County Eastern coach Bill Cole after his Cardinals split a nonconference doubleheader Friday with the Shelby Tigers.
Eastern pounded out 14 hits in the first game to take a 10-7 win. Shelby came back in the late game to capture a 4-3 victory.
With the split, the Cardinals are now 20-9 on the season.
“These games were a very good tuneup for the district tournament,” added Cole.
In the first game, junior Kara Bryan was the starting pitcher for Eastern. She worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and six walks while fanning six. Senior Melanie Stickney, making her way back after a wrist injury, pitched the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and one walk to earn the win.
Centerfielder Nikki Kolean led the Cardinal hit parade with two doubles and a single. Also, first baseman Keri Keilman and Bryan each rapped out three singles, shortstop Courtney Harris hit a double and a single and catcher Jessica Budzynski tripled.
In the second contest, Stickney pitched the first 3 2/3 frames. She had to leave the game after being hit on her injured wrist with a thrown ball.
Bryan came on to pitch the next 2 2/3 innings. Bryan allowed just two hits and one walk, but she was taken out of the game after being hit in the head on a play at the plate.
Stickney then came back to get the final two outs of the game. Stickney finished with six strikeouts as she gave up two hits, two walks and a hit batter.
Budzynski paced the Eastern bats by belting out a triple, a double and a single. Kolean and Harris each added a pair of singles.
Reprinted with permission from the Ludington Daily News.